


No Armour Anymore

by inej_ghafa



Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: F/M, ck spoilers, hurt kaz, inej returns, set after ck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-27
Updated: 2016-10-27
Packaged: 2018-08-27 07:55:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8393431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inej_ghafa/pseuds/inej_ghafa
Summary: Inej has returned from Ravka where she dropped off her parents...and injured Kaz is very late for a meeting with her.





	

Kaz limped along the tight alleyway, brow furrowed in pain. His leg was basically useless, dripping blood and dragging limply along the ground. But she was here, finally. He looked at the sky and swore. The sky had faded of its array of colours into a deep blue and stars twinkled. He was late.

 

He knew he had enemies still lurking in the streets of Ketterdam, those who despised and envied him, but he had been foolish as to believe they wouldn't attack him now when he was one of the most powerful people in the city. He was wrong.

 

It had been fine battling five people at once, he was used to that, but when one of them stuck a knife in his bag leg he was done. He had barely managed to knock them all out with his cane. The pain was indescribable. He worried that this time he had gone too far and his leg would never heal. 

 

Finally he arrived at the Slat. The sky was now blanketed in black, trying to lull the people of the city to sleep. But this was the time when everyone woke up, when the gambling dens and pleasure houses opened and business started. Not that there were as many pleasure houses today, Kaz thought with satisfaction. His fake plague had put most of them out of business for a long time.

 

As he pushed the door open he felt all eyes go to him. He was used to this by now, as he was the boss of the place. But today he was aware of another pair of eyes, at the top of the stairs. He was always hyper aware of her presence. She must have seen him coming from his office and come to meet him. Kaz couldn’t meet her eyes, he was ashamed that the first time she had seen him in weeks was in a weak position.

 

He started up towards the stairs and knew she was coming to meet him. After a painful few steps up she was by his side, a hand on his back, and her mouth to his ear, her hair tickling his exposed neck. It sent shivers up his spine, but not necessarily bad shivers.

 

“Let me help you up” she whispered. Inej was well aware of the others around them. He was mesmerised by her face, more beautiful than he remembered. Her caramel skin glowed in the lanterns hanging on the wall and her brown eyes were luminous. He shook his head once.

 

“I can’t Inej, not in front of these people.” He rasped, looking into her eyes. “Remember the net.” He saw a flash of recognition flash across her face. How could she forget the net? When he’d urged her to use the net and she’d refused because she knew she could do it. This was the same situation - Kaz could get up those stairs, he needed to to prove himself to his gang. A lot of them were newer members as the old traitors had to be wheedled out.

 

She backed away, but he knew she was up to something. “I’ll meet you up there” she murmured, slipping away into the crowd. He sucked in a breath and started up the staircase. Each step was a throbbing pain, leaving a trail of red drops in his wake. The slim knife still was imbedded in his leg, but Kaz had covered it up by swishing his pant leg over it. She had been too concerned to notice at the time...something that made him feel surprisingly warm inside. 

 

Eventually he made it to the top landing. Kaz turned, observing his gang down below. They all had gazed in fascination but now looked away and hurriedly returned to their duties. Kaz nearly smiled. After Per Haskell’s hasty departure Kaz had found it a little difficult to earn everyone's respect but now he had finally got there.

 

Kaz eased onto his bed in his little room, in agony but satisfied. He sat stiffly, muscles tense as he waited for Inej to come. She had only been away in Ravka for three weeks but he had felt her absence keenly. There was no one who understood him quite as well as she did, and he missed her presence constantly at his side. How could he say that to her though? She was too good for him, something that Jesper and Nina never failed to remind him about.

 

The door creaked and he straightened as Inej entered, but there was someone with her. it was a Kaelish boy with shocking red hair and green eyes, who was smaller than Inej. He couldn’t have been more than twelve. This was Farid, a Grisha healer who had been recently recruited by Nina into the ranks. She had only returned from Fjerda a week ago but was recruiting people left right and centre. Kaz eyed him warily.

 

“You don’t think I didn’t notice the knife sticking in your leg, did you?” Inej stated, her voice a tad sharp. He flinched at her tone but soon realised that she was speaking so harshly because she was concerned. “Farid here is going to heal you. Your wound is too deep for me to help.” Inej came and gently sunk to his side beside the bed. She placed a hand on his arm and he felt heat racing through his body to his cheeks. “Please Kaz.”

 

Kaz glanced away. “No way.” He was not letting someone heal him. Dirtyhands did not get his reputation for letting someone magic away his scars. He wore his scars with pride because he had earned them. Inej knew this better than anyone. Yet at that moment he remembered that ship many months ago, looking across the water with Inej at his side. 'I will have you without armour, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all.' Is this what she meant? Not only exposing himself to her, but doing so with others too? He looked back to where Farid stood awkwardly and Inej knelt her face expectant. “Alright. Get it over with.”

 

The smile that bloomed on Inej’s face made it all worth it. As Farid worked his magic she was sitting right by his side, hand in hand with him - his gloves discarded to the side. They only touched at their fingers but that was enough. Finally when the Grisha was done the two settled back lying on the bed, inches apart but perfectly fine with it. The waters didn’t rise once as Inej and Kaz chatted away into the night about their adventures. All the while Kaz didn’t wear his gloves. Around Inej he didn’t need armour, not anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this fanfic, I enjoyed writing from Kaz's perspective. This was originally posted on my tumblr: inej-thewraith-ghafa.tumblr.com so go check it out! If you want requests for SOC I will be more than willing to do almost anything for any ship, just keep it PG. Requests are received on my tumblr and will be posted here as well :)


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